A Grimaldi lines ship sails in front of the cruise liner Costa Concordia during the refloat operation maneuvers at Giglio Island July 23, 2014.

Costa Concordia Cruise Liner Towed in Final Voyage from Giglio

The wrecked Costa Concordia began its final voyage Wednesday as the cruise ship was towed from the Italian island where it struck a rock and capsized two-and-a-half years ago, killing 32 people. The 114,500-tonne vessel was slowly lifted from the ocean floor in Giglio harbor last week and was being towed north to the port of Genoa by two tugs.

Onlookers in Giglio gathered to watch the ship as it slowly moved away from the island, flanked by other boats sounding their horns. The journey to Genoa, where the liner will be dismantled and scrapped, is expected to take about five days. It has been 922 days since the ship last sailed, according to Italian Il Post newspaper. The ship's captain, Francesco Schettino, is on trial on charges of manslaughter, causing a shipwreck as he sailed too close to shore to "salute" the port, and abandoning ship. He denies the charges.